23 photos that show why travelers voted St. Petersburg the best destination in Europe

The Church of our Savior on Spilt Blood is one of St. Petersburg's most beautiful landmarks.Roman Evgenev / ShutterstockSt. Petersburg, Russia, was just named the best destination in Europe by the World Travel Awards for the second year in a row.

To determine the World Travel Awards winners, thousands of travelers and people working in the travel industry vote on certain categories in regions around the world.

St. Petersburg's ornate palaces and churches, and the rich history behind them, make it an ideal destination for travelers.

Keep scrolling to see why this Russian city took the No. 1 spot.

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The colorful Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood marks the spot where Alexander II was attacked in an assassination attempt in 1881 (hence the church's name).

Taking 40 years to complete, St. Isaac's Cathedral was built to be St. Petersburg's main church and the largest cathedral in Russia.

The church was completed in 1858. It closed in 1930, and later reopened as a museum.

ninara / Flickr

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The impressive interior is covered in detailed mosaics, and features paintings as well as beautiful columns made of malachite and lapis lazuli.

ninara / Flickr

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Stretching between Palace Square and St. Isaac's Cathedral, Alexander Garden was a popular place for the city's aristocracy to enjoy some leisure time and gossip. It's even mentioned in literature written by the country's favorite poet: Alexander Pushkin.

bellena / Shutterstock

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Catherine Palace, originally built for Catherine I by her husband, Peter the Great, didn't become the magnificently ornate palace it is now until their daughter, Empress Elizabeth, had it reconstructed in 1734.

The resulting palace is over half a mile long, and is covered in over 220 pounds of gold on the outside.

Sergey_Bogomyako / Shutterstock

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Empress Elizabeth used the palace as her summer residence. The interior is just as ornate as the exterior.

e_chaya / Flickr

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Especially the Amber Room, which is the palace's most famous room. Nearly 1,000 pounds of amber were used for its original construction.

Larry Koester / Flickr

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Unfortunately the room was dismantled in 1941, when German soldiers took over the palace. Forty years later the Amber Room was recreated, which took 20 years and cost more than $12 million; it reopened in 2003.

Larry Koester / Flickr

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Like Catherine Palace, the Grand Palace at Peterhof was originally commissioned by Peter the Great. The building was abandoned after his death in 1725, until his daughter, Empress Elizabeth, took over construction in 1740.